There have been at least two sighting reports of strange creatures that I would almost refer to as "gargoyles" if it didn't sound so incredible to do so. Synopses of the reports are below:
- Around 1974, two witnesses had an encounter with a strange winged creature while hunting in Tosahatchee State Preserve in east Orange County. Close to sundown, the men wandered down a trail towards their vehicle when they noticed something sitting inside of a huge, rotting tree. At first they suspected the creature to be a large bird of prey, but on closer inspection as the creature spread its wings and flew away, they saw that it resembled a flying hominid, "like a monkey with wings...or a gargoyle." The two men were understandably frightened by the experience. It is unlikely that they misidentified a mundane avian, as both men were avid bird hunters. This creature might be the same one described below.
- In September of 2004 during hurricane Jeanne, at least one Orlando resident reports seeing a strange creature perched in a tree in her back yard, apparently taking shelter during the storm. She claims that it was slate grey in color, approximately 3-4 feet tall, with strange arm/wing-like structures "that were tight against its body." She didn't get a great look at the face of the creature, but claims that it seemed to be a strange mix of human and animal, and completely unlike any animal she had ever seen. The witness is certain that it was not an owl or any bird that she knows of, and that it even had some features to it that seemed almost "reptilian." It didn't seem to have any "protruding parts to it," such as a beak or tail, as far as she could tell. The witness described the encounter as "eerie," and said that the creature didn't seem to move much or be phased at all by the driving wind and rain. The creature spent most of the day in the tree, and left sometime in the early evening.
- A witness reported that on the evening of Feb. 2, 2004, he was fishing in Lake Downey Park in east Orange County under the light of the full moon. He was sitting on a dock alone, and for several minutes he felt that he was being watched. He then saw a strange ripple in the water off to the side, and heard footsteps in the wooded area near the ripple. He shouted "hey!," but received no response. He then saw a creature walking towards him. He describes it as having "stork-like legs," and a thin body with a strangely shaped head, but that it was no animal he has ever seen. Frightened, he moved toward the shore, but the creature approached the shore side of the dock and cut off his escape. It continued to gaze at him with inhuman eyes, and appeared to be almost his height. He called 911 and was told by the Orange County Sheriff's Department to stay put and that they were on their way. The creature left as the police arrived, and he filed a report which is on record. For a few nights afterward, he was unable to sleep, as every time he closed his eyes, he pictured the creature gazing at him. He has also filed a report with another law enforcement agency, and has since contacted NUFORC, a respected UFO investigation group. NUFORC has since talked with the witness numerous times and investigated him, and they claim that he appears to be truthful, has offered to submit to a polygraph test, and seems genuinely spooked and seeking an explanation for his encounter.